Wisconsin: Thousands gather to protest lockdown

[PutUrPawsUp 200]

Most countries with less infected cases than US have sacrificed their economy to enforce lockdown policy, all this to save more lives as possible. Because they all understand the sooner lockdown policy enforced, less people dead and less damage is done to the economy by the end of the YEAR(Maybe even longer). It's shortsighted to protest lockdown. The lockdown policy itself is abso-f**kinglutely  the corrective and only move during this pandemic because vaccine is not done. When I watch One World: Together At Home, I only saw those volunteer social workers providing supplies in US. Where TF is the US government and what TF are they doing? Are they protecting deliverymen who risk their life to bring people supplies? Are they making sure each grocery is sanitized everyday? Or are they even making sure every community has a grocery store or supermarket so food could be brought to their home? It's the American government's incompetence to provide people in great demand for supplies or financial help that you American should protest against, not the lockdown. Just take a look at your president before you making excuses to protest anything reasonable, that's just very TRUMP.

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

11 minutes ago, Squeeshy Keety said:

I can literally see the capitol building from my apartment, and after these protests I'm more at risk than ever  

My boyfriend's dad is an officer who had to put his health at risk and insert himself into this petri dish so that Applebees could reopen... I just can't imagine being so reckless. There are other forms of peaceful protest that do not involve gathering shoulder to shoulder at the state capitol during a pandemic

I also am very hesitant to call this a protest too. I have to keep reminding myself that. It's all propaganda started by inside groups. 

On one hand it's hilarious that many of these people are out protesting because of guns and haircuts. Meanwhile, they had nothing good to say when it came to teachers or black people protesting for their rights...

 

[MissKombucha 308]

YAS @Maleficent and @blankpaper for getting it ! 
 

the point is no matter how long you extend these lockdowns for , the virus will still spread, especially once you ease restrictions. These lockdowns were never meant to stop the disease but rather slow it’s progression down to allow hospitals / states to accumulate enough PPE ventilators and testing kits while also giving researchers more time to understand this virus and develop some counter measures to treat the condition before a viable vaccine is approved. We were told that once antibody testing was widely available we’d be able to have a slow regression to opening up the country but now the goal-post has moved to needOmg to understand what immunity means in terms of COVID-19 and we now need even more testing and ‘ an army’ of contact tracers. Prolonging the duration of lockdown. It’s obvious it’s been politicized and there’s an end game in wanting to see social unrest and eventual riots in our cities. And the media’s focus on negative coverage doesn’t make anyone feel better.
 

we’re learning more about the virus and what we are learning is positive (well that’s subjective) but what it really points out is that the lockdowns May have been moot. Antibody testing in California and New York points out that a MUCH LARGER portion of the United States has previously been infected. From a sample set of 3000 participants, researchers in New York have been able to see that 13.9% of the state likely has already been infected , with most subjects not even having known - when broken down by county NYC was the largest set representing about an overal 21% infection rate. Tests in LA and Santa Clara showed that their counties were like 25-55 , and 55-85 Times more infected than officially counted. Meaning that LA county likely already had about 500,000 people infected. What this also means is that the mortality rate SIGNIFICANTLY drops and the previous number of 3.5-4.3% CFR drops to potentially something far closer to the flu. Obviously rate of spread is far greater due to the general population not having been vaccinated or adapted to SARS CoV 2. Germany and the U.K. have also done similar studies with VERY similar results. Were also finding out that the first American COVID death was in early February not late February. This individual had no history of recent travel. That means they caught the virus via community spread, and based on the incubation period of the virus it’s likely the first positive case was far earlier more like early January, late December .. and now they’re doing a review to see if the pneumonia deaths in December and November that were not identified as flu caused may have been caused by SARS CoV 2 !! So we may be FARTHER in this pandemic than any perceived.
 

anyways the point of the protests is to also expose the ridiculous lockdown measures that some cities and states have implemented which includes prohibitions on fishing , walking through parks , there’s prohibitions on what people can purchase when in certain department stores etc etc ... it’s not in every state but many governors have allowed the authority to go to their head and at this point many of their restrictions aren’t based in any science? and they’re quite draconian. Even the lockdown measures were not peer reviewed measures to mitigating the spread of the contagion. We just copied China.

the biggest concern is Potential economic collapse. We’re already in a recession. The continued printing of the dollar is devaluing it. We’re 4 more trillion dollars in debt. The states are also in debt. Markets have shrunk globally and because we’re all so interconnected that should the United States collapse a series of other economies will collapse with it. We’d like to avoid a global depression while trying to fight a pandemic because nothing is worse than having a respiratory illness to fight off while also having to fight off the usual terrors of economic depression which include things like : mass violence , theft , suicide, starvation , homelessness , pestilence , the inability for the federal government to continue bailing out hospitals and states , medical research would cease and the only way to stave off the pandemic for many would be apply the same measures during the Spanish Flu of 1918 - hope for the best.

not a lot of people seem to get that and it’s understandable to value Iives more than money but it’s the money that’s keeping many people alive. We can’t let the well dry up.

Once again Sweden proves to be the HBIC for how they handled the virus and once they open up even more they’re likely not going to see a spike in cases or deaths because they’d mostly have adapted to the virus.

anyways I wish everyone health and safety during this time. I’m going to look at investing in gold :3 

[HermioneT 1,998]

39 minutes ago, blankpaper said:

Other countries are doing better than the US in supporting their people through this. Obviously it can’t last forever anywhere, but the US is probably doing the worst of any developed/first world countries with a single $1,200 check that a lot of people aren’t getting and that took forever to go out to the people who are  

Here you get "Kurzarbeit", which means you receive 60% of your normal income even though you are only work lets say 4 hours a day or don't work at all. Because of covid the percentage will be increased to 70% and then to 80%. You are entitled to this for a maximum of one year. Many of my friends are working in federal jobs (day care, teachers ...) and they get paid their usual salary no matter how much they can still work or even if they don't work at all. I think most EU countries have a similar system ( they vary im time frames and percentages paid)  - I know for sure that France, Spain, Denmark, Austria and Italy do. 

[Miel 15,009]

I think people need to see the core of why the stay-at-home order is in place, and what it is that is actually detrimental to us as a society.

Yes, some people have much more privilege staying at home (steady income, generational wealth, etc). But forming protests en masses, such as this, to... what? Argue to go back to work? Open up services for other (disenfranchised) people to work? To risk their lives, and prolong the pandemic?

The argument shouldn't be "cancel the quarantine, so I/others can go back to work", but rather "give us the resources to survive and stay inside, especially is paid work is impossible". It's a larger, systemic issue.

-

Now, if they, like many other of these "liberty" protests, are arguing for the opening of daily, non-essential services, and access to areas that will increase infection rate? Then I'd call them selfish and uninformed.

[Miel 15,009]

Things to question-

Who are attending these protests? Why are they attending these protests?

Why are these protests viewed, and enacted on, differently by authority figures (police)? Who is being protected by said police?

 

[Miel 15,009]

Just now, Miel said:

Things to question-

Who are attending these protests? Why are they attending these protests?

Why are these protests viewed, and enacted on, differently by authority figures (police)? Who is being protected by said police?

 

In my county, many people (disproportionately people of color) were cited and fined for walking out in public, sitting in their parked cars, etc. even if following distancing rules and adhering to face-mask regulations.

While on the same day, "liberty" protesters en masse (predominantly rich, white, conservative) gathered in the downtown area right next to the police station, and were only watched by the police officers. No citations given, even if they were absolutely violating rules and precedent of "no large gatherings of over x amount of people". Arguments regarding their right to protest are moot, as political protests of different variety (disproportionately people of color, surprise) have been met with brutality and even death.

Whether we like it or not, the socio-political edge of these protests run inherently and insidiously deep.

-

These people are likely not protesting for a change in economic and political systems to change lives. Rather, many of them are protesting change from the status quo prior to the pandemic, and that is as disappointing as it is unsurprising.

As @PutUrPawsUp mentioned, there needs to be a very active and very nuanced conversation on whether or not sacrificing the lives of (predominantly disenfranchised, minority, at-risk) people is worth saving the economy. It's terrifying what people's answers to that might be.

[LaLuna 12,732]

1 hour ago, jacs vs looser said:

I understand your concern for people's jobs, but let's look at this particular protest: 

1. People were not distancing at all, standing there "shoulder to shoulder"
2. They were holding signs saying "Death.... is preferable to communism."
3. People leading the protest are quoted saying "Churches need to open. If you can open the slaughterhouses of abortion clinics, you can open churches."

So no, there's nothing simple about this, and maybe you too can understand better why the lack of sympathy for their cause. 

Hear hear 

[Borislshere 53,665]

I completely sympathize with the people out there fighting for work cause our government is failing to support us in these times. I'm fortunate enough to be able to work from home but many of these people don't have that opportunity. What i don't sympathize with are those out there who are there purely for selfish un-essential reasons. Haircuts, shopping, socializing, etc. I've been following my city on twitter for updates on the situation and nearly every update is flooded with people who want to break quarantine rules out of pure spite because "the constitution says so!!!" 

Like @dit stated, this whole thing situation has been poorly managed by our officials and many people have been left to suffer and fend for themselves in these tough times. 

ugh, rona can shove it.

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

The fact the curve is being raised and not flattening because of moronic citizens who want to NOT be told what to do and be selfish...well when they get coronoavirus and can't breath without a machine and dying... I wonder if they'll say it was worth the public tantrum...